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AstralFire
2008-10-01, 07:04 PM
CYANIDE!

...Er, wait, no, that wasn't my question.

I meant 'randomly rolled old age.' Same difference.

None of the long-lasting campaigns I've been in have actually taken a long amount of time IC - no more than 3 years tops.

Prometheus
2008-10-01, 07:24 PM
Sometimes I throw in side effects and enemies that physically age as a hazard. Even then, no one has died, but that may be because they all play young elves *twitch*

BobVosh
2008-10-01, 07:29 PM
Yes and no. I had a wizard who routinely committed suicide to go back to his clone in the closet at a younger age.

Jack_Simth
2008-10-01, 07:30 PM
Sometimes I throw in side effects and enemies that physically age as a hazard. Even then, no one has died, but that may be because they all play young elves *twitch*
Do they all play young elves because they want to play elves, or do they all play young elves because they know you pull stuff like that?

Lycan 01
2008-10-01, 07:30 PM
Old age? Not yet. Wait... Well, we jumped ahead in Call of Cthulhu to the modern age for our current campaign, and I mentioned a few of their 1920's characters, and what had happened to them. One retired after being the Dean of Miskatonic U for several years, and died contently of old age... I wanted to cut him a break, since his character is almost always on the verge of death. :smallamused:


Cyanide? Almost. If I'd have eaten at the diner in my friends CoC game involving Innsmouth, my meal would have been laced with it. Thankfully, I was smart... and instead broke into the Order of Dagon and got into an epic gunbattle. :smallbiggrin:

Angel in Black
2008-10-01, 07:33 PM
Once. We finished one of those "save the world with potentially horrible consequences many years later" quests, and...

DM: "OK, anyone doing anything particularly important for the next 20 years?"
Me: Hang on. That puts me at Venerable- go ahead and roll 'em.
DM: Wait, seriously? Well this is new. K. Human, right?
Me: Yeah.
*dice roll, DM looks down, looks up, looks down again...*
DM: How many years into Venerable?
Me: Five.
DM: Do you want me to re-roll?
Me: How bad?
DM: You've got a year. If I re-roll, we keep it, OK?
Me: *thinks a bit, then nods*
DM: *Rolls the die, looks at it, and holds out his hand* Your character sheet, please. I'm sorry, but you died. Pick your poison.
Me: *thinks for a minute* Heart attack during a Teleport, dead on arrival. Make the destination something important.

Everyone cracked up here for a while, and the tone lightened up.

DM: You guys want to do the funeral?
Rest of the group: Sure, why not?

It was one of the weirdest occurrences I've had to deal with. I can't remember what I played next, classwise, but it was the character's nephew.

AstralFire
2008-10-01, 07:39 PM
AiB, that's simultaneously kind of creepy and kind of cool.

BobVosh - I have to ask, was your wizard unusually ready to perform heroic sacrifices?

Lycan 01
2008-10-01, 07:40 PM
^Epic PC Death, my friend... Died from an epilogue! XD

ocato
2008-10-01, 08:03 PM
A friend of mine tried to min/max by starting at Venerable. He died of old age two sessions before the BBEG fight. He was quite angry when after blasting through an ambush of orcs his wizard died of a heart attack.

Fax Celestis
2008-10-01, 08:04 PM
I take it someone here hasn't played Pendragon.

afroakuma
2008-10-01, 08:08 PM
I avoid the age rules like the plague. In fact, I created a monster whose major ability is to raise the dead regardless of death from old age. Why? Because I see it as a ridiculous obstacle. It's completely arbitrary. If the Fates sent minions to punish raising the old, that would be fine. This is just karma going, "well, why doesn't everyone do it?" when the answer already involves expensive things.

Fax Celestis
2008-10-01, 08:11 PM
I avoid the age rules like the plague. In fact, I created a monster whose major ability is to raise the dead regardless of death from old age. Why? Because I see it as a ridiculous obstacle. It's completely arbitrary. If the Fates sent minions to punish raising the old, that would be fine. This is just karma going, "well, why doesn't everyone do it?" when the answer already involves expensive things.

They, uh, do. They're called "Inevitables"--and in particular, "Maruts" (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/inevitable.htm#marut).


Maruts confront those who would try to deny the grave itself.

Any who use unnatural means to extend their life span could be targeted by a marut. Those who take extraordinary measures to cheat death in some other way might be labeled transgressors as well. Those who use magic to reverse death aren’t worthy of a marut’s attention unless they do so repeatedly or on a massive scale.

AstralFire
2008-10-02, 07:43 AM
I think he just means that having inevitables and open-and-shut old age rules at the same time feels unnecessary.

Project_Mayhem
2008-10-02, 09:03 AM
Cyanide? Almost. If I'd have eaten at the diner in my friends CoC game involving Innsmouth, my meal would have been laced with it. Thankfully, I was smart... and instead broke into the Order of Dagon and got into an epic gunbattle

I forgot to mention, I regurgatated that fish and chips in the toilet as soon as I ate it. And then I swigged loads of Antidote. :smallwink:

Manga Shoggoth
2008-10-02, 10:22 AM
I meant 'randomly rolled old age.' Same difference.

None of the long-lasting campaigns I've been in have actually taken a long amount of time IC - no more than 3 years tops.

Not quite, but a character in one campaign had a hound who - when we checked the stats - had exceeded its Natural Aging Death by a huge margin.

It was written out of the campaign by having it bite the main adversary of the game - a very high-level lich.

NEO|Phyte
2008-10-02, 10:34 AM
Hmm, I think the closest I've been to dieing of old age was my thri-kreen that, win or lose, was going to die of old age at 29 years at the latest, whereas her closest friend was an elf. It's an interesting thought, realizing that your best friend would be able to visit your descendants for something like 20 generations before age finally catches up to him.

Swordguy
2008-10-02, 03:29 PM
I avoid the age rules like the plague. In fact, I created a monster whose major ability is to raise the dead regardless of death from old age. Why? Because I see it as a ridiculous obstacle. It's completely arbitrary. If the Fates sent minions to punish raising the old, that would be fine. This is just karma going, "well, why doesn't everyone do it?" when the answer already involves expensive things.

...ah...death IS arbitrary. Everybody has their time - it's the great equalizer amoung men. Heck, if there's no risk of dying of old age, it removes a LOT of story ideas (why would people choose to become a lich? The usual answer is "eternal life".).

arguskos
2008-10-02, 03:48 PM
I've died of old age, once. We were chasing a time-traveling spellcaster, and when we finally caught up to him, he managed to curse us in such a way that the spells that had been protecting us from aging when we time-traveled no longer functioned. We didn't realize, and tried to travel back to our home time... 400 years of time-travel. Yeah, no one survived that one. Fun campaign though.

I did manage to age a player by 300 years in one round too (lots of custom spells that age the target by 4d10 years, and lots of failed saves). He was human, so I ruled that when he was struck with all those effects, he aged to dust instantly. That was pretty fun, actually, since we all had a good time (they later killed the BBEG with the same tactic :smallwink:).

-argus

kc0bbq
2008-10-02, 03:56 PM
Depends on the system. In Traveller like systems (Twilight 2000, etc.) you may not make it out of character creation without dying of old age. Both your character, and you, the player trying to create a character that is useful.

Glimbur
2008-10-02, 10:32 PM
If aging to death is really a concern, Reincarnate brings you back as a young adult of some race. Granted, which race is a bit up in the air, and you probably can't cast Maximized Reincarnate to force the DM to pick. But you're only a Polymorph Any Object away from being about what you were before.

Ricky S
2008-10-02, 10:45 PM
Seriously the aging thing is just for ultra long campaigns and the chance of it actually being used is very slim... unless there is magical aging from some enemies you may face. Time dragon anyone? Although I like the idea that you can die of old age cause it adds heaps more to overall feel of dnd.

Tempest Fennac
2008-10-03, 02:03 AM
I agree with Swordguy about death from old age (I hate the aging penalties due to how they assume that everyone ages in the same way while being unrealistic, so I created another system). Using PAO with Reincarnate sounds lik a good idea (it looks as though most changes would be perminant anyway). Just thinking, though: if a Venerable Lizardfolk was Reincarnated and he ended up as a human, he wouldn't be in the same calss as Lizardfolk due to being turned into a mammal. Would Polymorphing him into a medium sized humanoid Reptillian cause the PAO spell to be perminant when it turned him into a Lizardfolk?

EDIT: Now that I think about it, could PAO be used to turn someone into a younger version of themself? Also, is there a version of Reincarnate which doen't cause level loss?

EDIT 2: Masters of the Wild contains a spell called True Reincarnate where 2 rolls are made and the target gets to chose which form they take (they don't lose a level or Con, but it costs Exps. to cast it).

kbk
2008-10-03, 07:50 AM
CYANIDE!

...Er, wait, no, that wasn't my question.

I meant 'randomly rolled old age.' Same difference.

None of the long-lasting campaigns I've been in have actually taken a long amount of time IC - no more than 3 years tops.

Remember haste used to age you? Ghosts too. We used to keep track of how many haste spells we'd receive, and I think one encounter with a ghost did kill me once. Haste used to be like crack. Great rush, but it'll kill ya.

Saph
2008-10-03, 09:31 AM
cast Maximized Reincarnate to force the DM to pick

That's . . . an awesome idea.

I just happen to be playing a 16th-level druid in our World's Largest Dungeon campaign, and we've been having huge problems with raise deads (diamond shortage). But I do have a rod of Maximise Spell.

I'm going to have to try that now . . .

- Saph

AstralFire
2008-10-03, 09:58 AM
I thought everyone knew about Maximized Reincarnate.

Project_Mayhem
2008-10-03, 10:17 AM
The last thing I want is my DM to decide what race I now am, just after I've pulled off a bit of smart-arsery using maximise where it probably shouldn't be used. Thats like actually casting wish in earlier editions.

Tempest Fennac
2008-10-03, 12:28 PM
I never knw Maximise could be used like that either/. The drawback is that the DM may decide to be awkward by picking something ridiculous.

Glimbur
2008-10-03, 12:32 PM
That's . . . an awesome idea.

I just happen to be playing a 16th-level druid in our World's Largest Dungeon campaign, and we've been having huge problems with raise deads (diamond shortage). But I do have a rod of Maximise Spell.

I'm going to have to try that now . . .

- Saph

The question your DM has to answer is if rolling on the Reincarnate table is a "variable numeric effect". If it isn't, then Maximize is useless. If it is though...

kamikasei
2008-10-03, 12:36 PM
It seems pretty obvious to me that Maximize certainly should not be used that way. The same language that would allow that would by the same interpretation allow an Empowered reincarnation to get a result off the table.

AstralFire
2008-10-03, 12:39 PM
It seems pretty obvious to me that Maximize certainly should not be used that way. The same language that would allow that would by the same interpretation allow an Empowered reincarnation to get a result off the table.

My karma is so awesome I need two bodies to contain it all.

Fax Celestis
2008-10-03, 12:41 PM
It seems pretty obvious to me that Maximize certainly should not be used that way. The same language that would allow that would by the same interpretation allow an Empowered reincarnation to get a result off the table.

*has horrible horrible visions of an intensified (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#intensifySpell) reincarnate*

Zuki
2008-10-03, 01:27 PM
You reincarnate the PC with enough epic power that there are suddenly two of them running around, would be my guess.

And Empowered Spell would take whatever the die roll was and multiply it by 1.5 to shift the result higher up the table.

Man, I miss the old 3.0 Reincarnate table. Nothing's quite as awesome as getting to come back as an awakened badger.

AstralFire
2008-10-03, 01:28 PM
You reincarnate the PC with enough epic power that there are suddenly two of them running around, would be my guess.

And Empowered Spell would take whatever the die roll was and multiply it by 1.5 to shift the result higher up the table.

Man, I miss the old 3.0 Reincarnate table. Nothing's quite as awesome as getting to come back as an awakened badger.

A: EULALIA MOTHER-
C: Shut your mouth!
A: I'm only talkin' bout Sunflash.
C: We can dig it.

Tempest Fennac
2008-10-03, 01:29 PM
I'll try to find the old table in a minute. (I'm guessing fennec foxes weren't an option, right?:smalltongue:) Those are good points about how the table works (at least the DM can;t force the character to come back as something with a huge LA if it can't be maximised).

Tormsskull
2008-10-03, 01:36 PM
I had a couple of characters retire from old age rather than die, but that seems to make more sense than them fighting up until the time they croak.

This was in a campaign that was sort of like Star Wars as far as timing goes. Major event, a few years of downtime, Major event, a few years of downtime, etc.

chiasaur11
2008-10-03, 01:40 PM
*has horrible horrible visions of an intensified (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/feats.htm#intensifySpell) reincarnate*

Looks like it'd just revive two guys from the dead.
Simple enough.

Fax Celestis
2008-10-03, 01:48 PM
A: EULALIA MOTHER-
C: Shut your mouth!
A: I'm only talkin' bout Sunflash.
C: We can dig it.

REEEEEEEEEEDWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL! </martin>

Tempest Fennac
2008-10-03, 01:49 PM
I found the 3.0 table on http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20/rules/DnD3.0Index-Creatures.pdf . It definitly looks more interresting, but it looks as though it would have been too much of a liability to be used practically.

AstralFire
2008-10-03, 01:49 PM
REEEEEEEEEEDWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL! </martin>

Logalogalogaloooooooog!

That book series has a ton of war cries and death considering it's about an idealistic abbey that hardly ever eats anything resembling meat.

Fax Celestis
2008-10-03, 02:03 PM
Looks like it'd just revive two guys from the dead.
Simple enough.

Actually, it'd reincarnate the same guy twice, putting his soul in two separate bodies.

The question then becomes, "Where did the second soul come from, or are we performing soul fission?"

AstralFire
2008-10-03, 02:29 PM
Actually, it'd reincarnate the same guy twice, putting his soul in two separate bodies.

The question then becomes, "Where did the second soul come from, or are we performing soul fission?"

Reminds me of Thief of Time.

This could be a cool hook.

Fax Celestis
2008-10-03, 02:33 PM
Reminds me of Thief of Time.

This could be a cool hook.

It'd make a neat BBEG, in deep epic. He just keeps casting intensified true reincarnation on himself until he's literally an army of various creatures, all with his brain. All he'd need to do is introduce some sort of hive-mind (Rary's telepathic bond?) and he'd be set.

chiasaur11
2008-10-03, 02:36 PM
It'd make a neat BBEG, in deep epic. He just keeps casting intensified true reincarnation on himself until he's literally an army of various creatures, all with his brain. All he'd need to do is introduce some sort of hive-mind (Rary's telepathic bond?) and he'd be set.

And, of course, one of him decides to try for redemption.

And, if the heroes win, at the end of the campaign, that one is killed by Inevitables for the massive law breaches of all his selfs.

Fax Celestis
2008-10-03, 02:46 PM
And, of course, one of him decides to try for redemption.

And, if the heroes win, at the end of the campaign, that one is killed by Inevitables for the massive law breaches of all his selfs.

No! He gives himself up nobly, as a martyr!

AstralFire
2008-10-03, 02:48 PM
The method of defeating them should involve forcing one to say "No, I'm Spartacus!" causing a chain reaction of screaming "NO I AM" over and over again until their combined sonic might destroys the local matter, caving in on all of them and killing them.

Fax Celestis
2008-10-03, 02:49 PM
And The Pcs Are Inevitables!

AstralFire
2008-10-03, 02:58 PM
I had no idea inevitables were so popular.

chiasaur11
2008-10-03, 03:13 PM
No! He gives himself up nobly, as a martyr!

To the Inevitables!

That is a great idea. Plus, if the players visit the afterlives regularly, the celestial burocracy on this issue could be fun to watch.

Fax Celestis
2008-10-03, 03:22 PM
Oh man, I love it when this happens. Spontaneous plot birthed from a weird ruling.

FMArthur
2008-10-03, 05:21 PM
Actually, it'd reincarnate the same guy twice, putting his soul in two separate bodies.

The question then becomes, "Where did the second soul come from, or are we performing soul fission?"

Oh no! It makes a Horcrux! Well, I guess Voldemort was a crazy min-maxer, too.

The Glyphstone
2008-10-03, 05:29 PM
But what if the BBEG's clones refuse to help him in his quest, and instead just sit around drinking Guiness?


Cookie for reference.

Fax Celestis
2008-10-03, 05:34 PM
But what if the BBEG's clones refuse to help him in his quest, and instead just sit around drinking Guiness?

What if his clones aren't clones at all, just bodiless souls ripped from the aether and deposited inside the newly-reincarnated body?

God, there's just so much you can do with this. SO MUCH.

Emperor Tippy
2008-10-03, 05:40 PM
I'll play if you run it.

only1doug
2008-10-03, 05:42 PM
But what if the BBEG's clones refuse to help him in his quest, and instead just sit around drinking Guiness?


Cookie for reference.

send in the GavClones....

1 person who became a demographic...


there are more GavClones than members of some entire species.

Fax Celestis
2008-10-03, 05:42 PM
send in the GavClones....

1 person who became a demographic...


there are more GavClones than members of some entire species.

Gav is awesome.

tonberrian
2008-10-03, 08:45 PM
Intensified Reincarnate goes "boink"?

The Bushranger
2008-10-03, 11:25 PM
But what if the BBEG's clones refuse to help him in his quest, and instead just sit around drinking Guiness?


Cookie for reference.

More Guinness to the front! Somebody sounds stressed, and I think it's a me!
:smallbiggrin:

Fax Celestis
2008-10-04, 12:08 PM
Intensified Reincarnate goes "boink"?

Yes, Hobbes. Pass the Trasmogrifer.

Chronos
2008-10-04, 01:30 PM
Somebody needs to cook up an "Error: Subscript out of range" template now. I'd try, but I don't think I'm up for it...

Where's Vorpal Tribble when you need him?